Monday, November 06, 2006

Claude McKay - Great Jamaican Writer

Claude McKay (September 15, 1889 – May 22, 1948) was a Jamaican writer, humanist and communist. He was part of the Harlem Renaissance and wrote three novels: Home to Harlem (1928), a best-seller which won the Harmon Gold Award for Literature, Banjo (1929), and Banana Bottom (1933). McKay also authored a collection of short stories, Gingertown (1932), and two autobiographical books, A Long Way from Home (1937) and Harlem: Negro Metropolis (1940). His book of poetry, Harlem Shadows (1922) was among the first books published during the Harlem Renaissance. His book of collected poems, Selected Poems (1953), was published posthumously.

Early life

Born in James Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica, McKay was the youngest in a large family. His father, Thomas McKay was a peasant, but had enough property to qualify to vote. Claude came to the attention of Walter Jekyll who helped him publish his first book of poems, Songs of Jamaica, in 1912. These were the first poems published in patois.

McKay's next volume, Constab Ballads came out the same year and were based on his experience as a police officer in Jamaica. He also left for the USA that year going to Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute. McKay was shocked by the intense racism he encountered in Charleston, South Carolina. Many public facilities were not available to Black people. Disliking the "semi-military, machinelike existence there", Claude quickly left to study at Kansas State University. His political involvement dates from these days. He also read W. E. B. Du Bois Souls of Black Folk which had a major impact on McKay.

Despite doing well in exams, in 1914 McKay decided he did not want to be an agronomist and went to New York where he married his childhood sweetheart Eulalie Lewars. However, she grew weary of life in New York and returned to Jamaica in six months.

Political activism

It was several years before McKay had two poems published in 1917 in Seven Arts under the pseudonym Eli Edwards. However McKay continued to work as a waiter on the railways. In 1919 he met Crystal and Max Eastman who produced The Liberator (where McKay would serve as Co-Executive Editor until 1922). It was here that Claude published one of his most famous poems If We Must Die during the "Red Summer", a period of intense racial violence against Black people in Anglo-American societies. This was amongst a page of his poetry which signaled the commencement of his life as a professional writer.

McKay became involved with a group of Black radicals who were unhappy both with Marcus Garvey's nationalism and the middle class reformist NAACP. These included the African Caribbeans Cyril Briggs, Richard B. Moore and Wilfrid Domingo. They fought for Black self-determination within the context of socialist revolution. Together they founded the semi-secret revolutionary organization, the African Blood Brotherhood. However McKay soon left for London, England.

Hubert Harrison had asked McKay to write for Garvey's Negro World, but only a few copies of the paper have survived from this period, none of which contain any articles by McKay. McKay used to frequent a soldier's club in Drury Lane and the International Socialist Club in Shoreditch. It was during this period that McKay's commitment to socialism deepened and he read Marx assiduously. At the International Socialist Club McKay met Saklatvala, A. J. Cook, Guy Aldred, Jack Tanner, Arthur McManus, William Gallacher, Sylvia Pankhurst and George Lansbury. He was soon invited to write for the Workers' Dreadnought.

In 1920 the Daily Herald, a socialist paper published by George Lansbury, included a racist article written by E. D. Morel. Entitled 'Black Scourge in Europe: Sexual Horror Let Loose by France on the Rhine' it insinuated gross hypersexuality on African people in general, but Lansbury refused to print McKay's response to this racist slur. This response then appeared in Workers' Dreadnought. This started his regular involvement with workers' Dreadnought and the Workers' Socialist Federation, a Council Communist group active in the East End and which had a majority of women involved in it at all levels of the organization. He became a paid journalist for the paper; some people claim he was the first Black journalist in Britain. He attended the Communist Unity Conference, which established the Communist Party of Great Britain. At this time he also had some of his poetry published in the Cambridge Magazine edited by C. K. Ogden.

When Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested under the Defense of the Realm Act for publishing articles "calculated and likely to cause sedition amongst His Majesty's forces, in the Navy, and among the civilian population," McKay had his rooms searched. He is likely to have been the author of "The Yellow peril and the Dockers" attributed to Leon Lopez, which was one of the articles cited by the government in its case against the Workers' Dreadnought.

Home to Harlem and other writings

In 1928 McKay published his most famous novel, Home to Harlem (1928), which won the Harmon Gold Award for Literature. The novel, which depicted street life in Harlem, would have a major impact on black intellectuals in the Caribbean, West Africa, and Europe. Despite this, the book drew fire from one of McKay's heroes, W.E.B. Du Bois. To DuBois, the novel's frank depictions of sexuality and the nightlife in Harlem only appealed to the "prurient demand[s]" of white readers and publishers looking for portrayals of black "licentiousness." As DuBois said, "Home to Harlem ... for the most part nauseates me, and after the dirtier parts of its filth I feel distinctly like taking a bath." Modern critics now dismiss this criticism of DuBois, who was more concerned with using art as propaganda in the struggle for African American political liberation than in the value of art to showcase the truth about the lives of black people.

McKay's other novels were Banjo (1929), and Banana Bottom (1933). McKay also authored a collection of short stories, Gingertown (1932), and two autobiographical books, A Long Way from Home (1937) and Harlem: Negro Metropolis (1940). His book of collected poems, Selected Poems (1953), was published posthumously.

Becoming disillusioned with communism, McKay embraced the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and was baptized. He died from a heart attack at the age of 59.

See you in Jamaica.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will right away take hold of your rss as I can not in finding your
email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you've any? Please allow me recognise so that I may subscribe. Thanks.

Also visit my page ... diets that work fast

Anonymous said...

With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of
plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of
exclusive content I've either authored myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any techniques to help reduce content from being ripped off? I'd definitely appreciate it.


Here is my blog: bankruptcy laws in florida
Also see my page - how to file for bankruptcy in florida

Anonymous said...

If you want to improve your know-how only keep visiting
this site and be updated with the latest gossip posted here.


my webpage healthy diet plans for women

Anonymous said...

I am not sure where you're getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this info for my mission.

Feel free to surf to my site ... waist to hip ratio

Anonymous said...

You've made some good points there. I looked on the internet to learn more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this website.

My blog post ... diet that works
My web site: diet plans that work

Anonymous said...

I am really loving the theme/design of your weblog.
Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues?
A handful of my blog readers have complained about my
blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks
great in Firefox. Do you have any recommendations to help fix
this problem?

Also visit my website: diets that work fast for women

Anonymous said...

Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to
and you are just too wonderful. I actually like what you've acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually a wonderful web site.

Here is my weblog diets that work fast for women
my page - diets that work

Anonymous said...

My brother recommended I may like this web site. He was once totally
right. This publish truly made my day. You can not consider simply how a
lot time I had spent for this information! Thank you!


my website - diets that work
Also see my webpage > diets that work

Anonymous said...

Hello, every time i used to check blog posts here in the early hours
in the morning, because i like to gain knowledge of more and more.


My web page: How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's what I was looking for, what a stuff! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this site.

Look into my web site; chapter 13 bankruptcy florida

Anonymous said...

Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some
advice from an established blog. Is it very hard
to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I'm thinking about making my own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Thank you

my site :: registry cleaner review

Anonymous said...

I think the admin of this web site is in fact working hard in support of his web site, because here every information is
quality based information.

Here is my blog: airplane simulator games

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it,
you might be a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your
blog and definitely will come back in the foreseeable future.
I want to encourage continue your great posts, have a nice
weekend!

Stop by my site - bmi index chart

Anonymous said...

With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement?

My blog has a lot of completely unique content I've either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help stop content from being ripped off? I'd certainly appreciate it.


Feel free to surf to my site ... online graduate certificate programs

Anonymous said...

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be
actually something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complicated and very broad for me.

I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!


Look into my webpage Activity calorie calculator

Anonymous said...

I used to be able to find good info from your blog articles.


my homepage: how much should i weigh for my age

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it,
you happen to be a great author. I will make
certain to bookmark your blog and will often come back from now on.

I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great writing,
have a nice weekend!

Here is my webpage ... what should i weigh

Anonymous said...

The significant features of the Order To Do P90x are its 12 set DVD pack, nothing organized
and didn't follow the P90 X Meal Plan. I found that when to the strength training workouts it gets slightly more complicated. The high intensity stretching exercises will designed to combat a variety of different muscle groups. Workout 6 follows shortly after this and teaches you basic movements involving Kenpo X. While you loop them for more resistance. It can get quiet overwhelming for the individuals to through lunges, squats and a variety of other exercises.

Here is my weblog - an'i'm

Anonymous said...

Greеtings from Cοlorado! Ӏ'm bored at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I love the info you present here and can't wait to takе
a look ωhen I gеt home. I'm shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm not even
using WIFI, just 3G .. Αnywayѕ, ѕuρerb blog!


Ηеre iѕ my page :: Coffee Pure cleanse and colo Cleanse Pro